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How to Play Balance Druid in Shadowlands Pre-Patch
来自 tettles
[Last Updated]:
2020/10/14
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Shadowlands is almost upon us, bringing with it Patch 9.0 and a large chunk of Class changes and updates. In this guide, we will take a look at the most significant changes for Balance Druid, detailing how you can expect to play the spec during the Shadowlands pre-patch.
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How to play Balance Druid in Shadowlands Pre-Patch
Balance's class fantasy is controlling the sun and the moon to do damage from range with Nature and Arcane spell schools. You are in a higher state and gain bonus damage by being in
.
Balance Druid is a general builder/spender that has two damage over time effects. You build a resource called
Astral Power
with
or
, and then you spend that resource with
on multi-target or
on single-target. You also maintain two damage over time effects,
and
. You are going to be alternating
states by casting the opposite side Eclipse state ability, and then empower that filler by dumping
into that Eclipse state.
You can read more about it in the
Balance Druid Rotation Guide
or the
Balance Druid Beginner's Guide
.
Some of Balance Druid's strengths are:
Single Target Target Swapping
- Balance’s target swapping is some of the strongest when able to pool resources for
and especially every ~15 sec when you enter
.
Burst Single Target
-
is incredibly strong on Single Target and Balance Druid has some of the highest burst Single Target damage in the game.
Long Term Sustained Multi Target
- Balance has a high amount of multi-target damage with very limited fall-off outside of cooldowns, due to most of our multi-target power being in
,
,
, and
.
+
conjunction
- While independently these two cooldowns are not very powerful, when used in conjunction they are some of the strongest in the game. Bear Form increases Armor and Stamina by huge amounts and Barkskin gives a 20% damage reduction on top of it. The downside to this is the significant loss in damage, but the huge amount of survivability make up for it.
Control and Utility
- The Druid class has a large amount of utility and control in the form of
,
, and
, and the talent row consisting of
and
.
Some of the weakenesses are:
Long Multi-Target Ramp Up Time
- The long multi-target ramp-up time stems from the fact that it takes a significant amount of time to be able to
all the mobs. This creates for significantly lower multi-target burst than many other classes. As for single target, building your initial Astral Power pool itself takes 10 - 15 seconds making you really slow off the start.
Lack of Talent Strength
- Currently the base kit for Moonkin is pretty strong while the talents themselves are not very impactful from a damage perspective. Whenever you take no damage altering talents you lose ~15% of your overall damage. This gives the Balance Druid player very little agency when deciding what to pick for the encounter. This creates issues especially when other classes are not balanced this way.
How Different does Balance Druid feel in the Shadowlands Pre-Patch
Balance Druid is still a core builder/spender spec with largely the same abilities, but the biggest changes come in the form of our Mastery.
are out and the
system is in with
being our new Mastery effect. The general playstyle will involve you casting either two
s or two
s in order to get into the opposite Eclipse state; two Wraths gets you into Lunar Eclipse and vice versa.
now buffs up the damage of your currently active Eclipse state meaning that you want to spend Astral Power earlier in your Eclipses and pool Astral Power late into your Eclipses.
now does insane damage, but you can only have one out at a time.
The cooldowns of the class feel substantially stronger while the baseline damage of the class is slightly weaker. This is due to the changes to
and
. Basically instead of a flat damage gain, they give you both sides of your Eclipse which increases your damage substantially.
Overall more of your damage comes from your cooldowns. Additionally, a higher percentage of your damage comes from your builders over your spenders. DoTs now also feel really bad to press due to the lack of
and general undertuning.
New Abilities for Balance Druid in Shadowlands Pre-Patch
Most of Balance Druid's "new" named abilities are utility abilities, but there are enough abilities that got reworks or changes to list as well.
New Utility Abilities:
- Moved to baseline
The Affinity row comes with new effects:
comes with
,
comes with
, and
comes with
All of the utility stuff is very nice, but none of it ensures a raid spot. A lot of the utility that Balance Druid obtained in the patch is directed at mob control which is quite valuable for M+.
when used with conjunction with
is quite a potent combo.
is only super useful on stuff like Bolstering/Bursting in order to stop damage on those targets.
is situationally decent but hard to use well.
Reworks and Changes that Affect our Rotation/Talents:
- Moved to baseline
is the most impactful change as detailed in the above section.
and
are both new/reworked and both are actually kind of bad due to tuning at the current time. I think
is interesting but it has a problem in that it is attached to
which gives Diminishing Returns on multiple dotted targets.
being moved baseline is quite nice, but unfortunately only makes up approximately 4% of our Astral Power generation which is a bit lackluster so not something to write home about.
Minor Changes:
now giving both
states makes our
and our
double dip during
, creating the most unique variant of cooldowns we have had in the builder/spender era.
is no longer stackable, making us very sad and also making us
with excess Astral Power on AoE.
now empowers
making you want to pool Astral Power late into
and
super early.
How Do AoE Caps Affect Balance Druid in Shadowlands Pre-Patch?
Balance has a few abilities that are affected by target capping in some form or fashion, but by and large things are unchanged or inconsequential if they are changed. Here is a quick list of the Balance abilities that are target capped:
Damage / Proc Chance Reduced on Secondary Targets
Hard capped at 20 Targets
And that really is all that Balance Druid has that is target capped, which is largely unchanged from the BFA variant. The only one that was changed going into Shadowlands was
which honestly is even so still is a very good talent on this row. There are some implications of
STILL having diminishing returns as it is an insignificant amount of our Astral Power generation even though the ability is part of our baseline kit now, but it does not feel any better or worse than it did previously.
I think these changes (read as non-changes) to Balance help allow it to become innately more imbalanced in AoE situations and most notably in M+. That said, with more and more classes getting target caps on a substantial number of their core AoE abilities, Balance is in a pretty solid state.
All AoE Target Caps
How Do the GCD Changes Affect Spec Class in Shadowlands Pre-Patch
Balance Druid did not have many issues with abilities being on the GCD moving from Battle For Azeroth into Shadowlands, however Balance still did get a few GCD changes.
and
are now no longer on the GCD. With these changes did come with slight mechanical changes to both abilities. Innervate got nerfed from 12 seconds of duration to 10 seconds of duration. This really does not mean much for Balance Druid honestly. Celestial Alignment got changed to where you no longer are granted the 30 Astral Power whenever you press the button which is a slight nerf but honestly does not affect very much.
How Strong is Balance Druid in Shadowlands Pre-Patch
All things considered, Balance Druid's base kit definitely feels more whole in Shadowlands and in the pre-patch compared to BFA. There were a lot of unique interactions added to the base kit due to
, how
works, deciding when to pool resources, and generally just being a more complete spec whenever it is taken down to its bare-bones.
Even without the Shadowlands systems such as Legendaries, Conduits, or Covenants, Balance still has the luxury of feeling complete and this is due to the expansion specific power not actively being the core of our class through and through.
I do worry that Balance will be slightly undertuned due to where they are damage-wise right now, but it is hard to say without seeing actual performance. The spec is incredibly cooldown reliant with a lot of its damage being loaded into the Mastery portion of
and our spenders of Starsurge and Starfall double dipping from both sides of our Mastery.
What are the Big Gameplay Changes for Balance Druid
The biggest changes for Balance in the Pre-Patch are from how the Eclipse system functions and the general changes to
/
and their interactions to it. You are now going to pool Astral Power for the beginning portions of eclipse then immediately dump 3
casts straight into your eclipse to buff it up on Single Target
or
just continue to maintain 1
with 100% uptime on AOE.
The
system change requires you to try to get into an
state as soon as possible. Once you are in an
state, then you spend Astral Power front-loading it at the beginning of your
(more important on Single Target than on AOE but still relevant). This is because
buffs up the
empowerment on your Builder abilities like Wrath and Starfire. Essentially, you just want to pool Astral Power for the beginning of your
and dump a triple
super early.
On AoE you want to maintain one
down at all times and spend excess Astral Power on
during Lunar Eclipse.
How does the Loss of Corruption affect Balance Druid in Shadowlands Pre-Patch
Moonkin was one of the classes that scaled the worst with Corruption. You are probably going to feel a bit slower especially if you were running a lot of Expedient, but as a whole this is a lot more normalizing for Balance Druid compared to other specs in the game as we are now on much more even footing.
Best Talent Builds for Balance Druid in Pre-Patch
Inside these two tabs, I will cover the two best talent setups for raid and for dungeons for Balance Druid and the reasoning behind these choices.
On the Tier 15 row the choices will likely come down to
vs
. As always Nature's Balance is more damage but Force of Nature is a very very powerful tank cooldown. I'd generally recommend Force of Nature, but play whatever you feel is necessary between the two.
- This will by and large be the best option for mythic+ as the mobility on encounters is just too strong compared to
or
.
- The off healing provided by Restoration Affinity is actually very high. You can toss out
on anybody in the party to assist with damage taken. The off healing provided during some affix weeks or during moments of high damage is very potent. TBH
is just OP.
- The amount of mob control this adds is really solid compared to Mass Entanglement and Heart of the Wild..
- Soul of the Forest is now the best option on this row for AOE situations and is also pretty well rounded for Single Target. This should be your primary go-to for dungeons.
- With Starfall actually doing a considerable amount of damage in Shadowlands, Stellar Drift is super sick.
- With the recent buff to Shooting Stars Solstice is now the front runner talent on this row.
- Nature's Balance is by far the best choice for damage on this row. Without the utility needed from Force of Nature, there is no reason to not take Nature's Balance
- This will by and large be the best option for almost all raid encounters. There are niche uses of Renewal and Tiger Dash, but more often than not, Wild Charge is your go-to.
- The off healing provided by Restoration Affinity is actually very high. You can toss out
on anybody in the party to assist with damage taken. The passive hit point regeneration from
is definitely super nice as well
- Heart of the Wild in raid can actually come in clutch for some moments where you need to have decent healing or tank a boss because your tank died. This row is largely un-impactful in raid, so HOTW is the best selection here.
- Is the highest damage option on this row without too many drawbacks. There could be a case made for Incarnation during fights that are near the 3:00 mark (like 3:30 or so), but beyond that Starlord is your raid go-to.
- With fights from raid being largely single target with intermittent adds, Stellar Flare is normally the best option here. Stellar Drift is the other choice if you are going to be Starfalling a bunch.
- With the recent buff to Shooting Stars Solstice is now the front runner talent on this row.
Best Priority / Rotation for Balance Druid in Pre-Patch
Balance Druid is largely a priority focus rotation class meaning that you cannot really cast sequence casts with any real effectiveness.
Do not Cap Astral Power
Maintain 100% uptime on DOTS (
,
, and
)
Enter
ASAP
Do not Lose Cooldown Uses
Always be Casting
Spend your Astral Power:
This is one of the most important concepts to learn in order to increase your damage. Going over the Astral Power cap makes you lose abilities that you’ve already cast, and significantly hurts your damage. Cast
or
! Generally, look to try to not cast Starsurge super late into Eclipse if you can avoid it. This will allow you to buff up Eclipse quickly with Starsurge on your next Eclipse cycle.
Maintain
/
/
uptime: It is imperative to maintain 100% uptime on your dots, so make sure you keep your targets dotted at all times. I would recommend setting up a Weakaura or have your UI track your dot uptime on mobs so you can see what you are doing easily. In the same vein, make sure you are not over-dotting. Over-dotting will cost you globals and make you miss potential
or
casts. The time in which you should dot should be equal to 30% of the duration of the dot. So Moonfire is 6.6 seconds, Sunfire is 5.4 seconds, and Stellar Flare is 7.2 seconds.
Alternate
states ASAP. High amounts of downtime outside of one of the Eclipse states can end up causing you to lose a substantial amount of damage, so trying to enter Eclipse as quickly as possible is big value.
Use your cooldowns when appropriate. Maximizing usage of
,
, and
is important! Making sure you do not miss uses while at the same time making sure to use them to help your raid in the most effective way is sometimes the most important decision making you can do. Keep in mind fight design, priority target swapping, and how long the encounter will last.
Always be casting: This is one of the less hit on points in most guides. Not attempting to maximize uptime on you casting is you essentially you throwing away potential damage as moonkin. This is because whenever you miss a cast you limit how many spenders you are able to cast. Try to avoid canceling casts and avoid moving when you can. Remember to always be casting.
Best Stats for Balance Druid in Pre-Patch
This will definitely change with a lot of the Shadowlands systems, but as it currently stands, these are roughly your best stats for the pre-patch.
Intellect
Mastery
Haste
Critical Strike
Versatility
Best Essences for Balance Druid in Pre-Patch
Major
for the fat amounts of intellect is really solid for Balance Druid in the pre-patch. Alternatively,
still decent for Balance Druid as our mastery and getting both sides of
is mega damage, but slightly worse than Worldvein.
is also really solid on Single Target
Minors
You should pick 3 of these depending on your situation:
- General purpose, the Astral Power gain is pretty solid.
- HUGE damage.
- With Versatility not being a bad stat for Balance Druid and Conflict and Strife being over-budget, CNS seems pretty solid.
- Good AOE damage if you are doing something like M+.
- Also solid damage.
Best Azerite for Balance Druid in Pre-Patch
Double
, one
, and then three other generic traits (read as
) are what you should be going for as the other Balance Druid specific traits are kind of bad.
is probably decent for M+ as you now use
with regular frequency, but even then running this trait is only useful whenever you are Starfalling multiple targets that are near one another.
Three solid pieces of gear are
Helmet:
-
&
Shoulders:
-
&
Chest:
-
&
All Shadowlands Balance Druid Changes
For a detailed list of everything changing in Shadowlands for Balance Druid, check out our full Shadowlands Changes guide.
All Balance Druid Changes in Shadowlands
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评论
评论来自
Anotherlevel
When mentioning diminishing returns on full moon, believe it’s meant to read shooting stars as that has now been baked into the baseline build. Though I do wish moons were baseline or get buffed since they’re so much fun to use.
评论来自
Leobentobox
"The time in which you should dot should be equal to 30% of the duration of the dot. So Moonfire is 6.6 seconds, Sunfire is 5.4 seconds, and Stellar Flare is 7.2 seconds."
I'm struggling to understand exactly what this means. "The time in which you should dot"? So, for example: is this saying that it's only worth using a GCD to cast Moonfire if the target will live for at least 6.6 seconds?
评论来自
sylar9210
Vision is bugged right now if it proc during an already active CA. Very frustrating if it doesn't get fixed.
Crucible of Flames minor does a very overtuned damage.
评论来自
minka25
Balance Druid sucks so hard on beta. You are forced to cast 15sec the same thing... and again and again
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